THE complex lives of three 20-something Palestinian women in modern-day Tel Aviv are deftly explored in this brave and vibrant film from first-time feature filmmaker Maysaloun Hamoud.
In Between (or Bar Bahar meaning “land and sea” in its native Arabic) weaves and clashes together the stories of three friends living together in a relatively small flat in the Israeli city. There’s Laila (Mouna Hawa), the most free-spirited of the group whom we first see snorting coke in the bathroom at a loud party and later discover is a lawyer working in the country’s difficult legal system.
She lives with Salma (Sana Jammelieh), who we later find out is gay and understandably hiding it from her conservative family. Their new flatmate is Nour (Shaden Kamboura), a computer student who is a practising Muslim engaged to be married to a man she really doesn’t love. All three, whether in strict privacy or practically shouting it from the rooftops, are railing against the potential loss of what freedom they have.
It’s a small film but with big things on its mind; uneventful in action but filled with energy (exemplified in its catchy, eclectic soundtrack) and alive with ideas and thoughtful observations about the living situation and perceived societal status of these women. In particular it deals head-on with the idea that the males in society should be the one’s making the decisions and the onus of women is to “stay in their place”.
Hamoud showcases a skilful handling of tone, gracefully flitting from laid-back chit-chat one moment to deathly serious the next without it ever feeling like it renders the former pointless or undermines the powerful impact of the latter.
In one of the film’s toughest scenes we witness an intimate conversations between Nour and her fiancé Wissam (Henry Andrawes): “They’ve ruined you to the point that you don’t see how impure they are,” he says spitefully of the girls she’s chosen as flatmates, before forcing himself on her. It’s just one of the many examples of how the film isn’t afraid to confront its issues.
Grounded in an unfussy and raw authenticity, In Between uses Laila, Salma and Nour’s individual stories to punch a hole in preconceived notions about how these women are supposed to act, in this type of film and in the real lives that they portray, giving voice to a generation that evidently feels trapped between contradictory traditional and modern cultures.
In these times films like this are more vital than ever.
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